Expect to see plenty of white boots and busby hats in Dunedin this weekend.
Hundreds of marchers from 49 teams around the country will be in the city for the 2020-2021 New Zealand Marching Championships.
Marching Otago is hosting the championships for the first time since 2014.
Marching Otago publicity officer Viki Kingsley-Holmes said this event was particularly exciting, as last year’s championship was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"There’re lots of people who haven’t seen each other competitively as well as socially, so there’re going to be . . . some really, really lovely greetings between teams, as well as old rivalries coming to the fore," Kingsley-Holmes said.
There will be one Otago team in each of the four grades — under-12, under-16, seniors (16+) and masters (25+).
For under-12 marcher Hailen Hurrell (10), it will be her first time competing at a national championship.
While she was nervous about getting the march right, she was also looking forward to the competition.
Hailen enjoyed performing the display march, which was a routine of rhythmic movements performed to the team’s choice of music.
She has been marching for about three seasons.
Maree Cross, from the masters team, is in her 17th season of marching.
She had made lifelong friends through the sport and travelled to places she probably would not have otherwise.
The masters team’s goal was to build on its performance from the South Island champs, which were held in Dunedin in December.
The national championship starts with the official opening and march past this afternoon, followed by streaming tomorrow where teams will be put into championship, plate and bowl divisions.
Saturday is the big event, where teams will perform in their divisions and the winning teams will be announced.
The Dunedin Rock Choir is also set to perform at lunchtime.
"At the end of the championship we will have the parade of champions, so the teams who got the top awards in their grades will then march past all the rest of us," Kingsley-Holmes said.
"It’s kind of like one of the last hurrahs for them.
"And then there’s a lot of celebration after that."
Information will be available for anyone who wants to take part in the sport, whether it be marching in a team or volunteering.
Kingsley-Holmes, who will be a judge at the championship, said it was great for Dunedin to host a national event.
"It’s going to be a really fantastic weekend."
